This anonymous survey is being conducted by the Disability and Abuse Project
of Spectrum Institute. The project's mission is to increase awareness and
hopefully improve those areas of life where abuse and disability intersect. To
help prevent abuse and crimes against people with disabilities, and to help
them receive equal justice when it occurs, we need to know more about this
well-traveled intersection.
This survey will take about eight (8) minutes of your time. It may take longer
if you choose to write about your personal experience(s) with abuse or make
other comments. The results will be posted when we have a representative
number of responses at www.disabilityandabuse.org.
At the end of the survey you may wish to give us your email address so we can
send you a link to the results and other important information about this
subject. Since your email address can not be paired with your answers to the
survey, your anonymity is totally protected. Thank you for helping us learn
more about abuse of people with disabilities.
Note: If you have a disability and you also have a family member with a
disability, you will need to complete the survey as one of these and not both.
The software will allow you to take the survey a second time if you use a
different computer.
(c) Spectrum Institute, 2012
1. Which of the following best describes your relationship with people with
disabilities?
I am a...
Person with a disability
Parent or family member of a person with a disability
Direct support worker
Administrator/manager of an organization providing services or supports to
people with disabilities
Social Worker in the field of disabilities
Protective Services Professional (CPS or APS)
Mental Health Professional
Peace Officer
Court official (attorney, parole or probation worker, judge)
Policymaker (Legislator or works for one)
Public agency employee
Special Education teacher, aide or administrator
Teacher or adiministrator (but not in Special Education)
Advocate
Concerned Citizen
Other:
2. What image first comes to your mind when you hear the word "disability?"
A person who uses a wheelchair or has limited mobility
A person who is blind or has limited vision
A person who is deaf or is hard of hearing
A person with an intellectual or a developmental disability, e.g., diagonsis
of Mental Retardation, Autism, or Cerebral Palsy
A person who has difficulty speaking clearly or being understood
A person who has mental health problems
Other (please specify)
3. Individuals of which disability group do you believe are most abused?
A person who uses a wheelchair or has limited mobility
A person who is blind or has limited vision
A person who is deaf or hard of hearing
A person with an intellectual or a developmental disability, e.g., diagnosis
of Mental Retardation, Autism, or Cerebral Palsy
A person who has difficulty speaking clearly or being understood
A person with mental health problems
All are abused at about the same rate
Other (please specify)
4. Who do you believe is the most likely person to abuse people with
disabilities?
A stranger who a person with a disability encounters alone in a private or
public place
Someone with whom he/she is somewhat familiar
A caregiver or family member
All of the above about the same
5. Do you or an immediate family member have a disability? (Note: If both apply,
choose one and complete the survey accordingly.)
Yes, I have a disability.
Yes, I have an immediate family member with a disability.
No, none of us has a disability.
6. What is your disability, or that of your family member? There are many
types of disabilities. We list only the ones that are the most prevalent.
(Check all that apply.)
Use a wheelchair or have limited mobility
Blind or have limited vision
Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Autism
Intellectual or developmental disability other than Autism e.g., diagonsis
of Mental Retardation, Cerebral Palsy or Epilepsy
Difficulty speaking clearly or being understood
Mental Health problems
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Other (please specify)
7. Have you or your family member with a disability ever experienced abuse?
Yes
No
8. If yes, what type(s) of abuse have you or your family member experienced?
(Check all that apply)
Physical abuse (non-sexual)
Sexual abuse
Financial abuse
Verbal or Emotional abuse
Neglect
This question doesn't apply to me
Other (please specify and feel free to comment)
9. Did you or your family member report the abuse to the proper authorities
(police or protective services)?
Yes
No
10. If yes, what happened? (check all that apply)
Nothing
An investigation was done without delay
The person who committed the abuse was fired, quit, or was asked to avoid
contact with me (my family member)
I believe an interview wasn't done or wasn't thorough because I (my family
member) use an alternative way to communicate
I (my family member) was interviewed but was not believed
An investigation was done but I (my famlly member) was not interviewed
An investigation was done but too much time had passed and the investigation
was compromised
An investigation was done but the investigator(s) was not thorough
The person who committed the abuse was arrested
The person who committed the abuse was charged with a crime
The person who committed the abuse was convicted of a crime
The person who committed the crime served time in prison or jail
The abuse was acknowledged by the criminal justice system and I (My family
member) was able to benefit from the Crime Victim-Witness Assistance Program
The abuse was acknowledged by the criminal justice system and the Crime
Victim-Witness Assistance Program was not mentioned or made available to me
(my family member)
This question doesn't apply to me
Comment on your experience with abuse
11. If you didn't report the abuse to the authorities why didn't you (or why
didn't your family member)?
Believed nothing would happen
Did not know how to report or who to report to
Was told not to say anything (threatened) or was too scared to do anything
about the abuse
Was told not to report it even though I wanted to tell someone about the abuse
Wasn't able to report the abuse because of my injury
This question doesn't apply to me
Other (please specify)
12. How often have you or a family member with a disability experienced abuse?
One time
More than once but less than ten times
About ten times
Between 20-40 times
Too many to times to count
This question doesn't apply to me
Comment
A portion of the abuse problem can be classified as bullying. Please answer the
following four (4) questions about this specific issue.
13. Have you or your family member with a disability ever experienced bullying?
Yes
No
14. If yes, where did the bullying occur? (Check all that apply)
School
Sports team
Workplace
Neighborhood/home
Internet/Cyber space
Other
This question doesn't apply
If "other," describe the place where the bullying occurred
15. If yes, how often did the bullying occur?
Once
Occasionally
Every day
Multiple times per day
It went on for years
This question doesn't apply
Please feel free to comment on your bullying experience
16. If yes, did other people (bystanders) observe the bullying?
Yes
No
This question does not apply
Please feel free to explain.
17. Were you or your family member with a disability provided any form of
therapy or counseling because of trauma experienced after the abuse (or
bullying) incident(s)?
Yes
No
This question doesn't apply to me
Please feel free to explain
18. If yes, how would you describe the effectiveness of the therapy or
counseling that was received?
Not helpful
Somewhat helpful
Very helpful
Extremely helpful
This question doesn't apply to me
Please feel free to describe this experience
19. If you are not a family member or a person with a disability, what
experiences have you had with abuse of, or crimes against, people with
disabilities? (Check all that apply.)
Abuse against people with disabilities has been reported to me
I have investigated abuse as part of my job
I advocate for people with disabilities who have been abused or have had
crimes committed against them
I have prosecuted people that have committed crimes against people with
disabilities.
I provide some form of therapy or counseling to victims of abuse with
disabilities
I have no personal or professional experience with abuse
Other
20. Based on your observations or experiences, how prevalent is abuse against
people with disabilities compared to people without disabilities?
About the same
Slightly more prevalent than against people without disabilities
Many times more prevalent than abuse against people without disabilities at
all ages
More prevalent against children
More prevalent against adults
More prevalent against elders
Not sure
Other (please specify)
21. How would you characterize the outcomes of most reports of abuse against
people with disabilities. (To answer this, use this scale of 0 to 5, with 0
indicating that a listed outcome never happens and 5 indicating that an outcome
very frequently happens?)
0
1
2
3
4
5
Reported to authorities
*How would you characterize the outcomes of most reports of abuse against people
with disabilities. (To answer this, use this scale of 0 to 5, with 0 indicating
that a listed outcome never happens and 5 indicating that an outcome very
frequently happens?) Reported to authorities 0
Reported to authorities 1
Reported to authorities 2
Reported to authorities 3
Reported to authorities 4
Reported to authorities 5
Authority receiving report takes action
Authority receiving report takes action 0
Authority receiving report takes action 1
Authority receiving report takes action 2
Authority receiving report takes action 3
Authority receiving report takes action 4
Authority receiving report takes action 5
Authority receiving report promptly and thoroughly investigates
Authority receiving report promptly and thoroughly investigates 0
Authority receiving report promptly and thoroughly investigates 1
Authority receiving report promptly and thoroughly investigates 2
Authority receiving report promptly and thoroughly investigates 3
Authority receiving report promptly and thoroughly investigates 4
Authority receiving report promptly and thoroughly investigates 5
Victims with disabilities are believed
Victims with disabilities are believed 0
Victims with disabilities are believed 1
Victims with disabilities are believed 2
Victims with disabilities are believed 3
Victims with disabilities are believed 4
Victims with disabilities are believed 5
Those who abuse people with disabilities are fired
Those who abuse people with disabilities are fired 0
Those who abuse people with disabilities are fired 1
Those who abuse people with disabilities are fired 2
Those who abuse people with disabilities are fired 3
Those who abuse people with disabilities are fired 4
Those who abuse people with disabilities are fired 5
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are arrested
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are arrested 0
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are arrested 1
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are arrested 2
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are arrested 3
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are arrested 4
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are arrested 5
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are prosecuted
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are prosecuted 0
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are prosecuted 1
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are prosecuted 2
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are prosecuted 3
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are prosecuted 4
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are prosecuted 5
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are convicted
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are convicted 0
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are convicted 1
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are convicted 2
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are convicted 3
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are convicted 4
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities are convicted 5
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities go to prison or
jail.
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities go to prison or
jail. 0
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities go to prison or
jail. 1
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities go to prison or
jail. 2
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities go to prison or
jail. 3
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities go to prison or
jail. 4
Individuals who commit crimes against people with disabilities go to prison or
jail. 5
Comment
22. If you believe that crimes/abuse against people with disabilities are
inadequately handled, why do you think this is so? (Check all that apply)
Individuals with disabilities are not valued
Victims with disabilities are not believed to be reliable reporters or
witnesses
Too much extra work to handle cases against victims with disabilities
Authorities lack adequate training to deal with these victims
Because incidents of abuse are rarely prosecuted such cases are not handled
well
All of the above are factors in creating unequal justice for these victims
I do not believe that crime victims with disabilities experience unequal
justice any more often than anyone else
Comment
24. Do you believe that people who are convicted of felonies against people with
disabilities should...
Spend more time in jail when they commit crimes against people with
disabilities?
Spend less time in jail when they commit crimes against people with
disabilities?
Spend the same time in jail no matter whether the victim has a disability or
not?
Not sure or don't know
Comment
25. In your opinion, what is the single most important thing that needs to be
changed in order for crime victims with disabilities to receive equal justice?
Knowledge of and attitudes toward people with disabilities by all segments of
society
More laws to force authorities to do the right things
More training about abuse reporting
More mandated training of police and abuse investigators
More mandated training of prosecutors
More mandated training of judges
Enhanced public awareness of abuse victims with disabilities
Better tracking of people known to abuse people with disabilities
More legal actions to force compliance with ADA and other Civil Rights
legislation
I cannot decide which is most important or I do not have an opinion
Comment
26. I am a
Male
Female
27. My age group is:
18 to 25
26 to 40
41 to 60
61 to 80
Over 80
28. What is your ethnic origin?
Caucasian
African-American
Asian/Pacific Island
Latino
Multiracial
Other (please specify)
29. In what state is your primary residence?
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of
ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNewt
HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth
DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth
DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
If not a resident of the U.S., in what country do you reside?
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30. Please feel free to give us your email address so we can provide you with
the results of this survey (optional).
If you would like more information about abuse of people with disabilities or
need a resource for abuse, please visit our website at
www.disabilityandabuse.org
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